The popularity of Korean pop culture (the Korean Wave) and of cooking broadcasts has led to an increasing number of video clips of Korean cuisine being posted on various social media such as blogs, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

"Yum Yum K-Food" is a social media channel for award-winning video clips in the global contest, “My Favorite K-Food,” hosted by aT (Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation) last year.

The judges carefully selected the clips from among 1,038 submissions by media users from 73 countries, based on the criteria of demonstrated level of understanding of Korean food, practicability of the contents, originality, and number of interactions with other users (for example, the number of “Likes” and comments). All prize-winning clips are both fun and informative. Above all, they are created by users outside of Korea who try to explain how they feel about Korean food, and thereby contribute to building knowledge about Korean food from an outsider’s perspective.

In this issue, Korea AgraFood introduces you to the eight video clips that received excellent evaluations from judges in the Yum Yum K-Food Contest.

Additional Info
aT invited the eight prize winners (one first prize, two second prizes, and five third prizes) to Korea at the end of last year and hosted an award ceremony for them. Yeo In-hong, the CEO of aT, praised participants from all around the world for their interest and demonstrating their talents in making the videos. He noticed that the contest was a chance to realize once again how popular Korean food is in other countries. Yeo told the winners he hoped for their continuous interest and love for Korean food in the future.

After the ceremony, the participants were able to experience Korean cuisine and food products by themselves by visiting Tongin Market, making kimchi, and going on field trips to strawberry and bell pepper exporting farms.

First Prize: Palida Charoenporn from Thailand

Palida Charoenporn, a huge fan of Yoon Du-jun of boy band Highlight, watched a Korean TV show where Yoon made tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cake) and enjoyed eating it. Palida decided to create a video showing how to cook tteokbokki in the same way as Yoon.

In the video clip, she explains in detail which products to use as ingredients among the variety of Korean products sold in Thai supermarkets when making delicious tteokbokki.

The highlight of the clip is Palida turning into Dae Jang Geum, the heroine of the popular Korean historical drama Jewel in the Palace.

A comment from a judge : Palida deserved a high score for showing the entire process—from buying ingredients sold in a local supermarket to cooking—so that anyone can make tteokbokki by themselves after watching her video. I was also impressed by the Dae Jang Geum parody.

Second Prize: Kano Haruna from Japan

Kano Haruna created a video demonstrating the journey she took to make “the most beautiful bibimbap in the world.” Bibimbap is a dish of rice mixed with vegetables, beef, and other ingredients. In search for the best ingredients, Haruna purchased rice cultivated on Ganghwa Island, gochujang (red pepper paste) made in Sunchang (South Jeolla Province), beef from Hoengseong County (Gangwon Province), and sesame oil freshly squeezed in a traditional marketplace. She explained about the characteristics of each ingredient.

The video also showed how to prepare and arrange the greens and other vegetables so that bibimbap looks as beautiful as those served in high-end restaurants in Korea.

A comment from a judge : Purchasing Sunchang gochujang and other ingredients was an effective way to promote Korean local specialties.

Second Prize: Jin Chenyu from China

Jin Chenyu brilliantly altered the lyrics of the song “Red Flavor” by K-pop girl group Red Velvet to introduce various Korean dishes: kimchi, ramyeon (Korean-style instant noodles), samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), and bibimbap. One of the revised lines goes, “Love at first taste, I can't stop thinking about you, K-Food is thrilling and tasty."

Chenyu’s video also includes footage of him traveling around Seoul—going to Seoul kimchi-making festival, visiting restaurants and convenience stores—in search for Korean food. Looking at his adventures stimulates the viewers’ appetites.

A comment from a judge : It is a lot of fun to see how Chenyu changed a K-pop song lyrics to talk about Korean food. The lyrics are in two languages, Chinese and Korean, so the clip also has a great promotional effect.

Asuka made bulgogi (Korean barbeque) and put up a food show similar to “Food Fighters,” whetting the appetites of viewers. In addition, the video contains tips on how to enjoy the dish in different ways by adding bell peppers, mozzarella cheese, and other ingredients.

Third Prize: Trista Toh from Malaysia

Trista Toh took a tour of supermarkets in Korea to introduce foreigners to Korean products they should try on their trips to Korea. The video features the green tea brownies of Orion, green grape-flavored soju (distilled spirits) of Hite Jinro, and other products of the brands that are exported overseas but not this particular product lines.

Third Prize: Shauna Granger from the US

Shauna Granger’s video shows her shopping for Korean food at an Asian food store in the US and cooking to exciting music. It is a dynamic combination of cooking and demonstrating taekwondo skills.

Third Prize: Liu Pinghuen from Taiwan

Liu Pinghuen made a parody of “Behind the White Tower," a popular Korean TV series set in a hospital. The synopsis of her video entitled "Behind the Kimchi Tower" is “resuscitating dying napa cabbage” with red pepper powder and seasonings. The clip shows the process of making kimchi as if it were a surgical operation.

Third Prize: Laura Nathania Sutanto from Indonesia

Laura Nathania depicted a happy day in her life by showing how she buys kimchi, ramyeon and other Korean food products available in Indonesia and has a dinner party with her friends. The video contains some information on how Koreans enjoy these products, such as adding red pepper powder to jajang-myeon (black-bean-sauce noodles) and serving beer as an accompaniment to chicken.